Oil Companies together with the Bush and Trump administration have kept the global warming debate alive long after most scientists believed that global warming was real and had potentially catastrophic consequences. We need to be aware and to change this policy before we get to the point of no return............Amor Patriae

ECOLOGY AND ENERGY PRODUCTION

Tuesday, January 3, 2017

Towns and cities across the east of Vladimir Putin's vast empire could 'collapse' in the coming decades because of thawing permafrost.

Ground that was once solid is crumbling due to climate change, and the impact for buildings across Arctic and Siberian regions will be 'devastating' by 2050, says a new US-Russian report.

Problems are expected even sooner in Anadyr, the capital of the extreme eastern region on Chukotka, where Chelsea tycoon Roman Abramovich once served as governor.

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Towns and cities across the east of Vladimir Putin's vast empire could 'collapse' in the coming decades because of thawing permafrost. This image shows a collapsed building in the Russian city of Yakutsk

Permafrost is a thick, subsurface layer of soil that remains below freezing point throughout the year.

It primarily occurs in polar regions such as Siberia and the Arctic.

Rising temperatures caused by climate change can cause permafrost to thaw and melt.

If towns and railways are underpinned by permafrost, warming temperatures can lead to structural instabilities. Here problems can be expected by the mid-2020s, as they can in Salekhard, a town which straddles the Arctic Circle, gateway Russia's large gas supplies on the Yamal peninsula.At risk too from a stark weakening of the 'bearing capacity' of the ground are Russia's diamond capital Yakutsk and nickel mining city Norilsk.The thaw has major implications for Russia since as much as 63 per cent of Russian territory is underpinned by permafrost.

It is already hitting buildings in northern regions, making them unsafe, and has caused railway lines to become crooked, rendering them useless, reported TheSiberian Times.

The analysis says a worst-case scenario could lead to a 75-95 per cent 'reduction in bearing capacity throughout the permafrost region by 2050'.

The authors conclude: 'This can have a devastating effect on cities built on permafrost.'

Thawing of permafrost 'can potentially lead to deformation and collapse of structures', with residential and industrial buildings at risk, but also railway lines, which are used for industrial purposes as well as passengers.

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Ground that was once solid is no longer rock hard due to climate change, and the impact for buildings across Arctic and Siberian regions will be 'devastating' by 2050, says a new US-Russian report. This image shows a railroad in Novaya Chara, Zabaikalsky, twisted by the thawing permafrost

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Problems are expected even sooner in Anadyr, the capital of the extreme eastern region on Chukotka, where Chelsea tycoon Roman Abramovich once served as governor. This image shows a section of pavement in the town of Anadyr warping with climate change

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In Anadyr (pictured) problems arising from thawing permafrost can be expected by the mid-2020s

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The US/ Russian study examined four Siberian towns and cities: Salekhard, Norilsk, Yakutsk and Anadyr. n average, the fastest changes are projected for Salekhard and Anadyr.

'On average, the fastest changes are projected for Salekhard and Anadyr.

'There the bearing capacity has potential to decrease to critical levels by (the) mid 2020s.

'In Yakutsk and Norilsk the critical climate-induced decrease in bearing capacity is expected around (the) 2040s.'

The study by experts from The George Washington University and specialists from the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences - Nikolay I Shiklomanov, Dmitry A Streletskiy, Timothy B Swales and Vasily A Kokorev - highlighted these four cities but the threat applies across the vast permafrost territory.

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Salekhard (pictured), is a town which straddles the Arctic Circle, gateway to Russia's large gas supplies on the Yamal peninsula. The town can expect structural issues from climate change by the mid-2020s

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At risk too from a stark weakening of the 'bearing capacity' of the ground are Russia's diamond capital Yakutsk, where in this image a damaged building is pictured

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Average temperatures in January in Yakutsk, pictured here in 2014, reach -50°C (-58°F)

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Russia's nickel mining city Norilsk, pictured here, has also been labelled at risk from rising temperatures

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Norilsk (pictured here in 2014) is an industrial city in Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia, located above the Arctic Circle

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The thaw has major implications for Russia since as much as 63 per cent of Russian territory is underpinned by permafrost. This image shows a railroad damaged by thawing permafrost in Novaya Chara, Zabaikalsky

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Numerous studies show the Russian Arctic is warming at a rate of approximately 0.12°C a year - significantly faster than the global average. Cities such as Anadyr (pictured) are under significant threat over the next 15 years

Numerous studies show the Russian Arctic is warming at a rate of approximately 0.12°C (0.216°F) a year - 'significantly faster than the global average', state the authors.

The scale of the thawing in each location could vary and was hard to predict precisely.

And 'well engineered structures' could survive, but there was a need for a change in building techniques.

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The thaw is already hitting buildings in northern regions, such as this structure in Yakutia, making them unsafe

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This image shows damage caused to a building in Yakutsk. Climate change has also caused railway lines to go wonky, rendering them useless

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Cracks can be seen forming in the walls of buildings in Yakutsk, pictured here, thanks to the melting frost

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The analysis says a worst-case scenario could lead to a 75-95 per cent 'reduction in bearing capacity throughout the permafrost region by 2050'. The authors conclude: 'This can have a devastating effect on cities built on permafrost.' This image shows permafrost damage to a building in Anadyr

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Thawing of permafrost 'can potentially lead to deformation and collapse of structures', such as the cracks seen in this building in Anadyr

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Both residential and industrial buildings are at risk, but also railway lines used for industrial purposes as well as passengers. For towns like Anadyr (pictured), this leaves the residents' future unknown

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The scale of the thawing in each location could vary and was hard for the researchers to predict precisely. 'Well engineered structures' could survive, but there was a need for a change in building techniques. This image shows the scale of damage that permafrost can deal to railway lines across Siberia and the Russian Arctic

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Railway lines are key to supplying towns and cities across Siberia's vast, icy plains, and permafrost damage could cut key supply lines for much of Putin's empire. Image shows a working Siberian railway (unrelated to other railway images above)

Oil Companies together with the Bush and Trump administration have kept the global warming debate alive long after most scientists believed that global warming was real and had potentially catastrophic consequences. We need to be aware and to change this policy before we get to the point of no return............Amor Patriae

Man has been endowed with reason, with the power to create, so that he can add to what he was given. But up to now he has not been a creator, only a destroyer. Forest keep dissapearing, rivers dry up, wild life's become extinct, the climate's ruined, and the land grows poorer and uglier everyday.....Anton Chekhov

Gen. Gregorio del Pilar, P.A.

From morning till noon he repealed charge after charge tenaciously with a handful of men through the heat and agony of battle till he fell dead among his slained soldiers, On this mountain summit overlooking the plains and shores of his country a massive tremendous altar......